All Twisted Up
by xoxoSoftballTwihard28xoxo
Summary: What were to happen if the Cullens found a mysterious book that was called Twilight?  Would anything change between Edward and Bella?  Will Edward find Bella before she comes to Forks?  This story takes place before Twilight:  Sorry bad at summaries:
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer

Me: Please, please, pretty please don't make me say it!

Cullens: Come on now you got to do it

Me: But…..

Jake: Just get it done and over with or I will turn into wolf form…

Me: Please don't do that! Ok, I don't own Twilight, the Cullens, or any other character in Twilight. Stephenie Meyer does. So sadddd

This story has probably been done before but, this is how I think of it. It is also told in many other peoples view so I hope you enjoy….

Normal: Talking

_This way: Thoughts_

**Bold: Part of book**

All Twisted Up

Chapter 1: Whole bunch of teasing and strangeness

Ed pov

"Dude, that was so not cool!" I said_. You see my "brothers" always try to pull pranks on me and try to beat me up. They only do it because I haven't found love yet. Sigh…_

"Brother, you know the rules we won't stop until you find it. HA we all know you will like NEVER so, we will always be able to." _Emmett just always had to ruin my hunting trips. _

"Whatever let's just go home before Carlisle gets mad."I said_ because I didn't want what happened last time to happen again._

_Oo now I get to be with Rose! Yeah buddy! Me and her are going to- Emmett thought. Alright that is enough of his thoughts…_

"OW WTF!" Jasper said as he fell down.

"Come on Jasper stop tripping on air." Emmett and I said at the same time.

"I didn't trip on air; I tripped on some sort of book… I think." _Wait what! That doesn't make any sense I didn't see any book and we have been here for the past 10 minutes. OMG! There is a book on the ground that is just so weird._

I walked over to the book and picked it up. _Weird what's Twilight _Jasper thought.

"Let me read the back of the book maybe that will explain things. **About three things I was absolutely positive. First, Edward was a vampire. Second, there was a part of him- and I didn't know how dominant that part might be- that thirsted for my blood. And third, I was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him**." _Um… I am speechless why is my name in the book? Must be a coincidence. I mean there must be another Edward that is a vampire._

"Ok, we have got to take this book to Alice maybe she can tell us why this book has your name in it." Jasper said while thinking it is a wonder why Alice still hasn't shown up. Maybe she didn't see this coming either.

Sorry for a short chapter please review and then you will find out whether or not Alice can tell them what is going on… G rated comments please… xoxoSoftballTwihard28xoxo


	2. Chapter 2

Sorry for not updating sooner. School is crazy! (EXAMS!:() Anyways, here is another chapter YEAH! Ok so this chapter is hopefully longer then the last so here you go.

Disclaimer

Me: I already said it I am not saying it again.

Alice: SAY IT or I will make you go shopping with me!

Me: NOOOO anything but shopping with you ok fine, I don't own Twilight or any of its characters Stephenie Meyer does. So I wish I were her…

Chapter 2: This is Weird

Ed pov (again)

"Carlisle do we have a treat for you." I said knowing that it will get him away from his office. "I also need everyone else to meet in our usual place." I walked into the dining room but since we never ate, it was used as a meeting place. Carlisle took his usual spot at the head of the table while everyone else started to come in.

"Ok guys what do you have to tell us?" Carlisle asked while his face went from happy to concern instantly. _Should we still tell them - Emmett thought. Great what did Eddie-boy do this time? Hope the Voultri aren't after us because of him. – Rosalie thought. _

"Well we were in the woods and you know the usual happened. Emmett beat me up and then we were just talking when Jasper tripped over a book…"I was interrupted by Alice who as always, felt concern for Jasper.

"Aw, are you ok Jazzy?" _You know sometimes I feel kind of bad for him that Ali always says that when something bad happens to him. Then again I remember that love does that to you sometimes. Again SIGH….._

"He is fine Alice. Anyways back to what I was saying, so we found this book and it is called Twilight and it has my name in it. So, we think that we should maybe read like a chapter or two to find out what it is about." _Wow I talk really fast because everyone was just blankly staring at me._

"Ok then who wants to read?" Esme said calmly.

"Oo I will, I will_" There goes Ali acting like a kid on Christmas morning again.-Rosalie thought_

"Can I have the book please?" Jasper handed Alice the book and then she started. "**Preface, I'd never given much thought to how I would die- though I'd had reason enough in the last few months- but even if I had, I would not have imagined it like this."**

"WHAT! Whywould this person think about how they would die? I feel so bad for this person." Esme said. _Well she is always a kind person. - I thought._

"Anyways, back to the story. **I stared without breathing across the long room, into the dark eyes of the hunter, and he looked pleasantly back at me. Surely it was a good way to die, in the place of someone else, someone I loved. Noble, even. That ought to count for something."**

"Yes, that is very noble. I can't believe that this person is going to die. I wonder who this person is going to die for."

"Carlisle I am trying to read and I keep getting interrupted!"

"Sorry Ali, continue on with the story." Carlisle said not wanting to deal with Alice's anger.

**"I knew that if I'd never gone to Forks, -"**

"FORKS!" All of us exclaimed. _Who would kill this person in Forks?_

**"I wouldn't be facing death now. But, terrified as I was, I couldn't bring myself to regret the decision. When life offers you a dream so far beyond any of your expectations, it's not reasonable to grieve when it comes to an end. The hunter smiled in a friendly way as he sauntered forward to kill me. **Ok, who wants to read next?" Alice said.

"I will but first of all, how can a hunter smile friendly? I mean that seems stupid because he is coming to kill you and so, he decides just to smile in a way that makes you seem like he is your friend for killing you! AH! This doesn't make any sense at all." Emmett growled.

As Alice passed the book to Emmett, Jasper said, "Well this is how you can do that." Jasper came right up to Emmett and just smiled a huge grin and said, "Hi, I am going to kill you now ok but, I want to seem friendly so, I am going to smile like you and I have been friends forever. End scene. Thanks no need to applaud." At this I laughed as loud as I could and then a second later I was being punched on the ground by Jasper.

"Never make fun of me EDDIE-BOY!" _Wow I didn't know Jasper was like that. OH CRAP! Not my FACE!_

"Emmett just start reading" I said.

"Ok, Ok pushy much? Chapter 1, First Sight. **My mother drove me to the airport with the windows rolled down. It was seventy-five degrees in Phoenix, the sky a perfect, cloudless blue. I was wearing my favorite shirt- sleeveless, white eyelet lace; I was wearing it as a farewell gesture. My carry-on item was a parka."**

** "**Ok, if she loved all of this weather and sky then why the heck is she moving to Forks where it will always be raining? No offense to her but, why is she so… stupid?" I said not understanding the reason of her leaving.

"EDWARD! That is no way to talk about a lady. You should be ashamed of yourself. She probably had a perfectly good reason for leaving. I feel so bad for her though. I hope she will fit in here." _Esme can go from being really mad at you for one minute and then the next minute caring. That's why I loved calling her mom._

"I can see why Alice always gets so mad at everyone who interrupts her. So, back to what I was saying…. **In the Olympic Peninsula of northwest Washington State, a small town named Forks exists under a near-constant cover of clouds. It rains on this inconsequential town more than any other place in the United States of America. It was from this town and its gloomy, omnipresent shade that my mother escaped with me when I was only a few months old.** **It was in this town that I'd been compelled to spend a month every summer until I was fourteen. That was the year I finally put my foot down; these past three summers, my dad, Charlie, vacationed with me in California for two weeks instead."**

** "**Charlie? Is she referring to Charlie Swan? Is this Isabella Swan that is telling this story?" Carlisle asked.

"Well we will find out if you just let me read! **It was to Forks that I now exiled myself- an action that I took with great horror. I detested Forks."**

"Well then why do you come here? I'm just wondering." I said even though that was a little harsh. _Still, why would you go to some place you detested?_

"UGH back to what I was reading. **I loved Phoenix. I loved the sun and the blistering heat. I loved the vigorous, sprawling city. Bella my mom said to me- the last of a thousand times- before I got on the plane. You don't have to do this."**

"Weird so, is she doing it because she wants to? I thought she said she hated Forks." Esme said.

"**My mom looks like me, except with short hair and laugh lines. I felt a spasm of panic as I stared at her wide, childlike eyes. How could I leave my loving, erratic, hare-brained mother to fend for herself? Of course she had Phil now, so the bills would probably get paid, there would be food in the refrigerator, gas in the car, and someone to call when she got lost, but still…"**

"Wow she seems like the mom." Alice stated.

"**I want to go, I lied. I'd always been a bad liar, but I'd been saying this lie so frequently lately that it sounded almost convincing now. **Wow, I kind of want to meet her to see how bad she is. **Tell Charlie I said hi. I will. I'll see you soon, she insisted. You can come home whenever you want- I'll come right back as soon as you need me.**

** But I could see the sacrifice in her eyes behind the promise. Don't worry about me. I urged. It'll be great. I love you, Mom. She hugged me tightly for a minute, and then I got on the plane, and she was gone. **

** It's a four-hour flight from Phoenix to Seattle, another hour in a small plane up to Port Angeles, and then an hour drive back down to Forks Flying doesn't bother me; the hour in the car with Charlie, though, I was a little worried about."**

_All of the girls shuddered at that statement, knowing how she felt._

**"Charlie had been fairly nice about the whole thing. He seemed genuinely pleased that I was coming to live with him for the first time with any degree of permanence. He'd already gotten me registered for high school and was going to help me get a car.**

** But it was sure to be awkward with Charlie. Neither of us was what anyone would call verbose, and I didn't know what there was to say regardless. I knew he was more than a little confused by my decision- like my mother before me, I hadn't made a secret of my distaste for Forks.**

** When I landed in Port Angeles, it was raining. I didn't see it as an omen- just unavoidable. I'd already said my goodbyes to the sun."**

"I hope that she will like Forks whenever she gets here." Esme said.

**"Charlie was waiting for me with the cruiser. This I was excepting, too. Charlie is Police Chief Swan to the good people of Forks. My primary motivation behind buying a car, despite the scarcity of my funds, was that I refused to be driven around town in a car with red and blue lights on top. Nothing slows down traffic like a cop."**

_Everyone nodded and agreed to that statement, including me._

**"Charlie gave me an awkward, one-armed hug when I stumbled my way off the plane. It's good to see you, Bells, he said, smiling as he automatically caught and steadied me. You haven't changed much. How's Renee?" **

"HAHAHA she is clumsy. This should be interesting." Jasper said while rolling on the floor.

**"Mom's fine. It's good to see you, too, Dad. I wasn't allowed to call him Charlie to his face."**

"Well of course not that is mean." Esme stated.

**"I had only a few bags. Most of my Arizona clothes were too permeable for Washington. My mom and I had pooled our resources to supplement my winter wardrobe, but it was still scanty. It all fit easily into the trunk of the cruiser."**

Rosalie and Alice both gasped at this.

**"I found a good car for you, really cheap, he announced when we were strapped in. What kind of car? I was suspicious of the way he said good car for **_**you**_** as opposed to just good car. Well, it's a truck actually, a Chevy."**

All of us said ewh to this.

**"Where did you find it? Do you remember Billy Black down at La Push? La Push is the tiny Indian reservation on the coast."**

Again all of us growled at the fact that the wolves were mentioned in this book.

**"No. He used to go fishing with us during the summer, Charlie prompted. That would explain why I didn't remember him. I do a good job of blocking painful, unnecessary things from my memory."**

"I feel so bad for her," Rosalie and Alice said at the same time.

**"He's in a wheelchair now, Charlie continued when I didn't respond, so he can't drive anymore, and he offered to sell me his truck cheap. What year is it? I could see from his change of expression that this was the question he was hoping I wouldn't ask. Well, Billy's done a lot of work on the engine- it's only a few years old, really. I hoped he didn't think so little of me as to believe I would give up that easily. When did he buy it? He bought it in 1984, I think. Did he buy it new? Well, no. I think it was new in the early sixties- or late fifties at the earliest, he admitted sheepishly."**

"OMG! There is no way that Bella can have a car from that early in time. There is something wrong with this picture!" Alice exclaimed.

**"Ch-Dad, I don't really know anything about cars. I wouldn't be able to fix it if anything went wrong, and I couldn't afford a mechanic…. **Well Rose is a mechanic. **Really, Bella, the thing runs great. They don't build them like that anymore. **_**The thing,**_** I thought to myself… it had possibilities- as a nickname, at the very least. How cheap is cheap? After all, that was the part I couldn't compromise in. Well, honey, I kind of already bought it for you. As a homecoming gift. Charlie peeked sideways at me with a hopeful expression. Wow. Free."**

"AHHHHHH! What car is ever FREE! That is a crime against nature." Alice stated.

**"You didn't need to do that, Dad. I was going to buy myself a car. I don't mind. I want you to be happy here. He was looking ahead at the road when he said this. Charlie wasn't comfortable with expressing his emotions out loud. I inherited that from him. So I was looking straight ahead as I responded. That's really nice, Dad. Thanks. I really appreciate it. No need to add that my being in Forks is an impossibility. He didn't need to suffer along with me. And I never looked a free truck in the mouth- or engine."**

"HAHA that is hilarious. I like this girl," I said.

**"Well now, you're welcome, he mumbled, embarrassed by my thanks. We exchanged a few more comments on the weather, which was wet, and that was pretty much it for conversation. We stared out the windows in silence. It was beautiful, of course; I couldn't deny that. Everything was green: the trees, their trunks covered with moss, their branches hanging with a canopy of it, the ground covered with ferns. Even the air filtered down greenly through the leaves. It was too green- an alien planet."**

**"Eventually we made it to Charlie's. He still lived in the small, two-bedroom house that he'd bought with my mother in the early days of their marriage. Those were the only kind of days their marriage had- the early ones. There, parked on the street in front of the house that never changed, was my new- well, new to me- truck. It was a faded red color, with big, rounded fenders and a bulbous cab. To my intense surprise, I loved it."**

"WTF!" Alice exclaimed.

**"I didn't know if it would run, but I could see myself in it. Plus, it was one of those solid iron affairs that never gets damaged- the kind you see at the scene of an accident, paint unscratched, surrounded by the pieces of the foreign car it had destroyed. Wow, Dad, I love it! Thanks! Now my horrific day tomorrow would be just that much less dreadful. I wouldn't be faced with the choice of either walking two miles in the rain to school or accepting a ride in the Chief's cruiser. **That would be terrible. **I'm glad you like it, Charlie said gruffly, embarrassed again. It took only one trip to get all my stuff upstairs."**

"This girl is starting to freak me out. It only took one trip to get upstairs that is SO not cool. I am taking her shopping as soon as she gets here no matter what." _Wow, only Alice would think about shopping during a time like this._

**"I got the west bedroom that faced out over the front yard. The room was familiar; it had been belonged to me since I was born. The wooden floor, the light blue walls, the peaked ceiling, the yellowed lace curtains around the window- these were all a part of my childhood. The only changes Charlie had ever made were switching the crib for a bed and adding a desk as I grew. The desk now held a second-hand computer, with the phone line for the modem stapled along the floor to the nearest phone jack. This was a stipulation from my mother, so that we could stay in touch easily. The rocking chair from my baby days was still in the corner.**

** There was only one small bathroom at the top of the stairs, which I would have to share with Charlie. I was trying not to dwell too much on that fact."**

"O gosh, she has to share a bathroom with her father I feel so bad for her…" Rosalie said.

**"One of the best things about Charlie is he doesn't hover. He left me alone to unpack and get settled, a feat that would have been altogether impossible for my mother. It was nice to be alone, not to have to smile and look pleased; a relief to stare dejectedly out the window at the sheeting rain and let just a few tears escape. I wasn't in the mood to go on a real crying jag. I would save that for bedtime, when I would have to think about the coming morning.**

"Aww… I wish she wouldn't have to cry. If only we could do something to help her." Esme said.

**"Forks High School had a frightening total of only three hundred and fifty-seven- now fifty-eight- students; there were more than seven hundred people in my junior class alone back home. All of the kids here had grown up together- their grandparents had been toddlers together. I would be the new girl from the big city, a curiosity, a freak**.**"**

All of us knew how she felt with being the freak.

**"Maybe, if I looked like a girl from Phoenix should, I could work this to my advantage. But physically, I'd never fit in anywhere. I **_**should **_**be tan, sporty blond- a volleyball player, or a cheerleader, perhaps- all the things that go with living in the valley of the sun.**

** Instead, I was ivory-skinned, without even the excuse of blue eyes or red hair, despite the constant sunshine. I had always been slender, but soft somehow, obviously not an athlete; I didn't have the necessary hand-eye coordination to play sports without humiliating myself- and harming both myself and anyone else who stood too close.**

** When I finished putting my clothes in the old pine dresser, I took my bag of bathroom necessities and went to the communal bathroom to clean myself up after the day of travel. I looked at my face in the mirror as I brushed through my tangled, damp hair. Maybe it was the light, but already I looked sallower, unhealthy. My skin could be pretty- it was very clear, almost translucent-looking- but it all depended on color. I had no color here.**

** Facing my pallid reflection in the mirror, I was forced to admit that I was lying to myself. It wasn't just physically that I'd never fit in. And if I couldn't find a niche in a school with three thousand people, what were my chances here?"**

"Why does she keep bringing herself down? That's not right she should love how she is and I bet she will find a group to fit in without a doubt."___Whoa… I have never said anything like that about anyone before. No wonder why everyone is staring at me._

**"I didn't relate well to people my age. Maybe the truth was that I didn't relate well to people, period. Even my mother, who I was closer to than anyone else on the planet, was never in harmony with me, never on exactly the same page. Sometimes I wondered if I was seeing the same things through my eyes that the rest of the world was seeing through theirs. Maybe there was a glitch in my brain. **I highly disagree with that statement. Just saying.

** But the cause didn't matter. All that mattered was the effect. And tomorrow would be just the beginning. I didn't sleep well that night, even after I was done crying."**

Aw, I feel so bad for her. Ok I am acting really weird. I thought.

"**The constant **_**whoosh**_**ing of the rain and wind across the roof wouldn't fade into the background. I pulled the faded old quilt over my head, and later added the pillow, too. But I couldn't fall asleep until after midnight, when the rain finally settled into a quieter drizzle."**

"Alright break time! I want to go hunting. We will continue this later."Alice said.

I will finish the chapter as soon as possible; I just had to get something posted now. Also, I am planning on starting a couple new stories so if you have any ideas please share. Oh yeah don't forget to hit that review button. K Thanks Bye.


	3. Chapter 3

AN: Ok so this chapter is basically going to be about them hunting so it won't be that long but I will **try** to get the next chapter up ASAP. Also I am going to start giving shot outs to people who review each chapter…. So for the past two chapters;

Thanks PhoenixlLoveStory for the review

Thanks for being a great friend MyMuseThyNameIsTwilight

Edward Cullen I love your name btw and your comment

FreakofNature I will try to update as soon as I can but sometimes it might take a longer time with the schedule I have( I am very busy most of the time)

DracoDreams-2 I will do my best to try not to stall on the story (updates may take time though)

I don't own Twilight though I would be very glad if Stephenie Meyer would like to hand it over

I didn't like the original of this chapter so here is a revised one.

Chapter 3: The hunt

[Alice Pov]

Oh my gosh! This is going to be amazing; Edward doesn't know it yet but he is in LOVE with Bella. I love the fact that I have visions. That is except for the times when they are wrong or they are completely pointless. I was interrupted by my thoughts when Jasper said "Alice, why exactly are you so excited. I mean you are like jumping around like a crazed women who just one a million dollars."

Um, should I tell them or not. Well might as well as long as Edward isn't here. It would be best if it was kept a secret from him or else he might just go ballistic. Well here goes nothing. "Hey guys, I just had a vision about Edward and it turns out that he kind of falls in love with Bella Swan…" I trailed off waiting for their reactions.

"Why in the world would he ever fall in love with a HUMAN! Its way to dangerous, he is going to get us all killed. Either that or, this human is going to die because of one of us." Rosalie said this while looking at Jasper.

"ROSALIE! How dare you say that about your brother? Jasper is perfectly in control with himself. Also be grateful that Edward will be happy in the near future." Esme said.

"So, anyways when Edward comes around 30 minutes from now, we have to make sure all thoughts are blocked. He can't find out quite yet."

"Where exactly did you send him, Alice?"My amazing husband said.

"Well I told him that I left my phone at a store when I went shopping yesterday. He protested a lot but eventually went. Although I think he might know that something is up, he just doesn't know, yet."

"Yeah and knowing Edward he will do his best to find out. Wait Alice is your phone at the store?" Esme asked.

"Actually it is. So it technically isn't a lie because I showed him the vision of me freaking out over leaving. That vision was mostly forced though."

30 minutes later

"Edward, we are going hunting so you ready to come?"

"Yeah totally. Where exactly are we hunting today?"

"Around the Canadian border, I would assume." Carlisle said.

"Oh and also we are sending you, Emmett, and Jasper to that range while the rest of us stay local. We thought you guys deserve some bonding time." Poor Edward hates spending time with his brothers but he is just going to have to deal with it. That earned a growl from Edward. Well, you know what Edward you don't scare me; might as well get it over with though.

Fifteen minutes later

(Edward POV)

"Ah brother looks like we meet again." Really Emmett I am so NOT in the mood.

"Whatever Emmett. Let's just hunt now ok."

A few mountain lions and watching Emmett wrestle with a bunch of grizzle bears, I noticed something. Maybe it is something maybe not. All I know is that it appears that my family is hiding something big from me. I mean Alice started to think of random things like shoes, clothes, and other crazy stuff like that. Not like she doesn't already though. It just seemed a lot different.

Finally, a couple hours later and we were back home. On to finishing the chapter. YEAH, sarcastically not really maybe it will get better then the girl just bringing herself down…..

So tell me what you think by clicking that review button. Also I am stuck deciding on how to continue on with the story. What I mean is should I have them read the whole book or just important parts of the story and maybe include a little twist of my own. Idk I will try to come up with a poll for that if I can. Until next chapter goodbye. Also sorry ( ) for such a short chapter I will try to make the next one longer.


	4. Chapter 4

AN: Hi again, well thank you to all who have read my story so far. I plan on posting a new story and maybe a couple one-shots. If any of you have any request for stories or one-shots please do share. I am so sorry for DISAPPERING of the edge of the Earth. Who all hates writers block? I know I do. Ok so for the reviews

Mymusethynameistwilight: Thanks again for being a great friend (read her stories)

Edward Cullen: It's all better so take a look. :) Thanks for letting me know about my mistake I made.

Bookluver07: Yeah I just needed to add in a filler chapter

Well that was long anyways onto the chapter

I WISH I OWNED TWILIGHT BUT I DON'T SO I AM GOING TO GO CRY IN THE CORNER TILL ITS** MINE** so if Stephenie Meyer is by chance reading this wanna help a friend. HAHAHA

Chapter 4

Alice's pov

"We must get back to reading this story! I need to find out what happens." I said. I want to find out when something exciting is going to happen because right now it's just boring.

"You know Alice, sometimes I worry about you and your hyperness." (Don't know if that is a real word or not so just bear with me.) Esme said. Well Esme, totally feeling the love there.

"Alright before anyone gets into a fight, I am going to read now." Esme said.

**Thick fog was all I could see out my window in the morning, and I could feel claustrophobia creeping up on me. You could never see the sky here; it was like a cage. **

"Yeah tell me about it." Emmett said.

**Breakfast with Charlie was a quiet event. He wished me good luck at school. I thanked him, knowing his hope was wasted. Good luck tended to avoid me.**

"I might see her at my work a lot then." Carlisle said.

**Charlie left first, off to the police station that was his wife and family. After he left, I sat at the old square oak table in one of the three unmatching chairs and examined his small kitchen, with its dark paneled walls, bright yellow cabinets, and white linoleum floor. Nothing was changed. My mother had painted the cabinets eighteen years ago in an attempt to bring some sunshine into the house. Over the small fireplace in the handkerchief-sized family room was a row of pictures. First a wedding picture of Charlie and my mom in Las Vegas, then one of the three of us in the hospital after I was born, taken by a helpful nurse, followed by the procession of my school pictures up to last year's. Those were embarrassing to look at- I would have to see what I could do to get Charlie to put them somewhere else, at least while I was living here. **

**It was impossible, being in this house, not to realize that Charlie had never gotten over my mom. It made me uncomfortable. **

"Sorry to pause guys but, I just want to almost cry for this girl. I hope she finds away to fit in here." Esme said.

**I didn't want to be too early to school, but I couldn't stay in the house anymore. I donned my jacket- which had the feel of a biohazard suit- and headed out into the rain.**

"BIOHAZARD SUIT! I am going to fix that girls style and take her shopping." I said. I mean come on. I will make it my duty to fix that girl.

"Alice! We will not interfere within a human's life. It is much too risky." Edward was killing me here.

"He has a point we can't risk with the Volturi." Carlisle said.

**It was just drizzling still, not enough to soak me through immediately as I reached for the house key that was always hidden under the eaves by the door, and locked up. The sloshing of my new waterproof boots was unnerving.**

"Absolutely no sense of style, this is killing me and I am not even Alice!" Rosalie said. She does have a point though. I totally wish that I could change that about her.

**I missed the normal crunch of gravel as I walked. I couldn't pause and admire my truck again as I wanted; I was in a hurry to get out of the misty wet that swirled around my head and clung to my hair under my hood.**

**Inside the truck, it was nice and dry. Either Billy or Charlie had obviously cleaned it up, but the tan upholstered seats still smelled faintly of tobacco, gasoline, and peppermint. The engine started quickly, to my relief, but loudly, roaring to life and then idling at top volume. Well, a truck this old was bound to have a flaw. The antique radio worked, a plus that I hadn't expected.**

"I still do not understand how she could like that truck. I would be complaining very much so." Of course you would Rose. I looked over and Edward was chuckling under his breath at that.

**Finding the school wasn't difficult, though I'd never been there before. The school was, like most other things, just off the highway. It was not obvious that it was a school; only the sign, which declared it to be the Forks High School, made me stop.**

"Well the sign is a dead giveaway." Emmett said.

**It looked like a collection of matching houses, built with maroon-colored bricks. There were so many trees and shrubs I couldn't see its size at first. Where was the feel of the institution? I wondered nostalgically. Where were the chain-link fences, the metal detectors?**

"Well you see, here we are normal and do not need that kind of stuff." Emmett said.

"What type of school did this girl go to!?" Edward asked.

**I parked in front of the first building, which had a small sign over the door reading **_**FRONT OFFICE**_**. No one else was parked there, so I was sure it was off limits, but I decided I would get directions inside instead of circling around in the rain like an idiot. I stepped unwillingly out of the toasty truck cab and walked down a little stone path lined with dark hedges. I took a deep breath before opening the door. **

**Inside, it was brightly lit, and warmer than I'd hoped. The office was small; a little waiting area with padded folding chairs, orange-flecked commercial carpet, notices and awards cluttering the walls, a big clock ticking loudly. Plants grew everywhere in large plastic pots, as if there wasn't enough greenery outside. The room was cut in half by a long counter, cluttered with wire baskets full of papers and brightly colored flyers taped to its front. There were three desks behind the counter, one of which was manned by a large, red-haired woman wearing glasses. She was wearing a purple t-shirt, which immediately made me feel overdressed.**

"Umm… Does it bother anybody how descriptive this girl is? It is like she is aware of everything that happens. This can possibly lead to a bit of a problem." I just realized how accurate Jasper was. She is a little bit too aware of everything.

**The red-haired woman looked up. "Can I help you?"**

"**I'm Isabella Swan," I informed her, and saw the immediate awareness light her eyes. I was expected, a topic of gossip no doubt. Daughter of the Chief's flighty ex-wife, come home at last. **

"**Of course," she said. She dug through a precariously stacked pile of documents on her desk till she found the ones she was looking for. "I have your schedule right here, and a map of the school." She brought several sheets to the counter to show me.**

**She went through my classes for me, highlighting the best route to each on the map, and gave me a slip to have each teacher sign, which I was to bring back at the end of the day. She smiled at me and hoped, like Charlie, that I would like it here in Forks. I smiled back as convincingly as I could.**

"I hope she does actually find that Forks is a good place. It would be such a shame to everyone if she doesn't but totally understandable." Carlisle said in a very polite tone.

"Yeah unless she ends up being someone who will be all up in our business, then we would have to worry. You know because she is pretty accurate and descriptive on absolutely everything." There goes Rose always turning a good moment into a bad one.

**When I went back out to my truck, other students were starting to arrive. I drove around the school, following the line of traffic. I was glad to see that most of the cars were older like mine, nothing flashy. At home I'd lived in one of the few lower-income neighborhoods that were included in the Paradise Valley District. It was a common thing to see a new Mercedes or Porsche in the student lot. The nicest car here was a shiny Volvo, and it stood out.**

"Hey Eddie, that's YOUR car!" Of course Emmett would say something like that. Great, now we are going to have to listen to Edward complain about being called Eddie. I turned towards my brother who at sometimes is as annoying as heck but also sometimes the person to go to for support. He was looking at Emmett, and you could tell that he was mad but he cleared up. That was unexpected.

"Emmett just please don't do that again. Now let's get back to the story. Esme will you please read?"

**Still, I cut the engine as soon as I was in a spot, so that the thunderous volume wouldn't draw attention to me.**

**I looked at the map in the truck, trying to memorize it now; hopefully I wouldn't have to walk around with it stuck in front of my nose all day. I stuffed everything in my bag, slung the strap over my shoulder, and sucked in a huge breath. I can do this, I lied to myself feebly. No one was going to bite me. I finally exhaled and stepped out of the truck. **

Esme tried to finish that paragraph fairly quickly. This was probably due to the fact that she knew we were going to say something about what the book said.

"I find this very ironic due to the fact that we are vampires but we don't kill humans though but then again the thought is still the same with biting."

"I am surprised. Normally you would make a joke about it and then get yourself in trouble in some way. Very impressive Emmett." I said in a playful tone.

"Fine you want funny here is funny. That girl just said no one will bite her but we are vampires. We should go up to her and pretend to bite her and see how she reacts. Then we will follow her around and all the teachers that pass us will be bitten with plastic fangs that people seem to love _sooooo_ much. Then will see what her thoughts are. Dang it, that wasn't even funny but it would be an interesting prank to pull."

"Emmett! We will do no such thing. This family was not built to do things like." Carlisle said and as soon as he did Emmett's face fell into complete disappointment.

"Now back to the story because it seems like that we need a miracle to occur for that to ever happen." Esme said.

**I kept my face pulled back into my hood as I walked to the sidewalk, crowed with teenagers. My plain black jacket didn't stand out, I noticed with relief.**

"Why say teenagers? She is one as well and it seems as if she is the shy type." Emmett said.

**Once I got around the cafeteria, building three was easy to spot. A large block "3" was painted on a white square on the east corner. I felt my breathing gradually creeping toward hyperventilation as I approached the door. I tried holding my breath as I followed two unisex raincoats through the door.**

**The classroom was small. The people in front of me stopped just inside the door to hang up their coats on a long row of hooks. I copied them. They were two girls, one a porcelain-colored blonde, the other also pale, with light brown hair. At least my skin wouldn't be a standout here. **

"Nope. Not with us here." Emmett said jokingly.

"Wait, isn't she supposed to be from Arizona? Shouldn't she be tan then?" I said.

**I took the slip up to the teacher, a tall, balding man whose desk had a nameplate identifying him as Mr. Mason. He gawked at me when he saw my name- not an encouraging response- and of course I flushed tomato red.**

"Aww. I want to see that!" Emmett is a weird freak sometimes and I hope he knows that.

**But at least he sent me to an empty desk at the back without introducing me to the class. It was harder for my new classmates to stare at me in the back, but somehow, they managed. I kept my eyes down on the reading list the teacher had given me. It was fairly basic: Bronte, Shakespeare, Chaucer, Faulkner. I'd already read everything.**

"No way, me too! We are like twins."

"Somebody go get the duck tape! I hate how Emmett is interrupting so frequently." I ran off and got the duck tape.

"Edward catch!" I tossed it over to him and he seemed to understand my plan. Oh right forgot mind reader.

He ran to Emmett, pinned him down long enough to get a piece of duck tape over his mouth. Rosalie obviously didn't want him talking either because she grabbed both of his hands and wouldn't release him.

**That was comforting… and boring. I wondered if my mom would send me my folder of old essays, or if she would think that was cheating.**

"Of course it's cheating. I don't even let any of you take old essays." Esme said. I hated that she wouldn't let us take are old essays. It just puts more work on our shoulders. Not like it matters though, with us not having to sleep.

**I went through different arguments with her in my head while the teacher droned on. When the bell rang, a nasal buzzing sound, a gangly boy with skin problems and hair black as an oil slick leaned across the aisle to talk to me.**

"Anybody want to bet that the guy she is talking about is Eric?" Jasper asked.

"**You're Isabella Swan, aren't you?"**

"No. She is Kristina Smith. Of course you ding nut its Isabella Swan because it isn't often when we get new students here in Forks." Emmett said.

"Wait. How and when did Emmett get the duck tape off?" I said.

"A magician never shares his secrets!"

"Remind me again why we kept this many children Carlisle." Wow that was hurtful Esme.

**He looked like the overly helpful, chess club type. **

"**Bella," I corrected. Everyone within a three-seat radius turned to look at me. **

"**Where's your next class?" He asked.**

**I had to check in my bag. "Um, Government, with Jefferson, in building six." **

**There was nowhere to look without meeting curious eyes. "I'm headed toward building four, I could show you the way…." Definitely over-helpful. "I'm Eric," he added.**

"SO CALLED THAT!"

"Emmett it was kind of obvious." Edward said.

**I smiled tentatively. "Thanks." **

**We got our jackets and headed out into the rain, which had picked up. I could have sworn several people behind us were walking close enough to eavesdrop. I hoped I wasn't getting paranoid.**

"**So, this is a lot different than Phoenix, huh?" He asked.**

"**Very."**

"**It doesn't rain much there, does it?"**

"**Three or four times a year."**

"**Wow, what must that be like?" He wondered.**

"**Sunny," I told him.**

"Well of course it is sunny. It is Arizona. Sometime Eric isn't the brightest." I said.

"Yeah especially with girls." Rose and I shuddered at the memory of that.

"**You don't look very tan."**

"**My mother is part albino."**

**He studied my face apprehensively, and I sighed. It looked like clouds and a sense of humor didn't mix. A few months of this and I'd forget how to use sarcasm.**

"No need to worry Bella, I will help you get it back." Really Emmett.

**We walked back around the cafeteria, to the south buildings by the gym. Eric walked me right to the door, though it was clearly marked. **

"**Well, good luck," he said as I touched the handle.**

"**Maybe we'll have some other classes together." He sounded hopeful. **

**I smiled at him vaguely and went inside.**

**The rest of the morning passed in about the same fashion. My Trigonometry teacher, Mr. Varner, who I would have hated anyway just because of the subject he taught, was the only one who made me stand in front of the class and introduce myself. I stammered, blushed, and tripped over my own boots on the way to my seat.**

"I was right. I will be seeing her a lot if she is this clumsy." Carlisle said.

**After two classes, I started to recognize several of the faces in each class. There was always someone braver than the others who would introduce themselves and ask me questions about how I was liking Forks. I tried to be diplomatic, but mostly I just lied a lot. At least I never needed the map. **

**One girl sat next to me in both Trig and Spanish, and she walked with me to the cafeteria for lunch. She was tiny, several inches shorter than my five feet four inches,**

"Alice! She is taller than you."

"Whoa big surprise there Emmett." Everyone obviously had to laugh. All of them are a bunch of immature brats. Grrrr…

**but her wildly curly dark hair made u pa lot of the difference between our heights. I couldn't remember her name, so I smiled and nodded as she prattled about teachers and classes. I didn't try to keep up.**

"That's Jessica." Rosalie said.

"How do you know?" I asked.

"Really? What other person do we know that is a non-stop talker? Also the description just fits her ugliness."

"Must you always be like that Rosalie?" Esme asked.

"Yes. Yes I must."

**We sat at the end of a full table with several of her friends, who she introduced to me. I forgot all their names as soon as she spoke them. They seemed impressed by her bravery in speaking to me. The boy from English, Eric, waved at me from across the room.**

**It was there, sitting in the lunchroom, trying to make conversation with seven curious strangers, that I first saw them.**

"Who do you think the strangers are?"

"Emmett I think they might be us." Edward said in a joking tone.

"Really? It's about DANG TIME!"

**They were sitting in the corner of the cafeteria, as far away from where I sat as possible in the long room. There were five of them. They weren't talking, and they weren't eating, though they each had a tray of untouched food in front of them.**

"Great! It's her first day and she already is noticing too much. We are going to have to pack up and move yet again." Rosalie having absolutely no faith in me, the future-seer, said.

**They weren't gawking at me, unlike most of the other students, so it was safe to stare at them without fear of meeting an excessively interested pair of eyes. But it was none of these things that caught, and held, my attention.**

**They didn't look anything alike. Of the three boys, one was big- muscled like a serious weight lifter, with dark, curly hair.**

"Hey that's me!"

"No we thought it was Alice."

"Hurtful." Wow even though it was a joke. I mean come on, couldn't Edward have chosen Rosalie or Jasper.

**Another was taller, leaner, but still muscular, and honey blond.**

"Jasper." We all said.

**The last was lanky, less bulky, with untidy, bronze-colored hair. He was more boyish than the others, who looked like they could be in college, or even teachers here rather than students.**

"More boyish? I have been here in this family longer than anyone else and I'm boyish."

"Sorry Eddie but you can only dream that you had muscles like these." Emmett as always acting like himself by flexing his muscles.

"My name is not Eddie, Emmy."

**The girls were opposites. The tall one was statuesque. She had a beautiful figure, the kind you saw on the cover of the **_**Sports Illustrated **_**swimsuit issue, the kind that made every girl around her take a hit on her self-esteem just by being in the same room. Her hair was golden, gently waving to the middle of her back.**

"I do have to admit though; she did give me an amazing introduction."

"You would act like that Rosalie." Edward said.

"Children calm down so we can get through this chapter." Carlisle said.

**The short girl was pixielike, thin in the extreme, with small features. Her hair was a deep black, cropped short and pointing in every direction**.

"When can I escape this curse!?" I exclaimed.

"Well Ali, all you really have to do is quit being short and so pixielike." I really wanted to murder Emmett right now.

**And yet, they were all exactly alike. Every one of them was chalky pale, the palest of all the students living in this sunless town. Paler than me, the albino.**

"Well your welcome Bella for us being so pale. At least that makes you less of an odd ball." No comment to give to Emmett there. I would just be wasting my time. I looked over towards Edward and saw him nodding in agreement.

**They all had very dark eyes despite the range in hair tones.**

"Looks like we need to hunt." Jasper said.

**They also had dark shadows under those eyes - purplish, bruiselike shadows. As if they were suffering from a sleepless night, or almost done recovering from a broken nose.**

"Well we kind of can't sleep but, good guess though." Emmett said.

**Though their noses, all their features, were straight, perfect, angular. **

**But all this is not why I couldn't look away.**

**I stared because their faces, so different, so similar, were all devastatingly, inhumanly beautiful. They were faces you never expected to see except perhaps on the airbrushed pages of a fashion magazine. Or painted by an old master as the face of an angel. It was hard to decide who was the most beautiful - maybe the perfect blond girl, or the bronze haired boy."**

"Aww Eddie! She thinks you are beautiful." THWACK. Next thing you know Emmett is rubbing his head complaining to Esme about why she slapped. All the rest of us could not stop laughing at this.

**They were all looking away - away from each other, away from the other students, away from anything in particular as far as I could tell. As I watched, the small girl rose with her tray - unopened soda, unbitten apple - and walked away with a quick, graceful lope that belonged on a runway. I watched, amazed at her lithe dancer's step, till she dumped her tray and glided through the back door, faster than I would have thought possible. My eyes darted back to the others, who sat unchanging.**

"ALICE! Could you have been a little slower?" Rosalie exclaimed.

"I'm sorry. It's in the book anyways, it's not like I have done that yet."

"Whatever, but because of how observant she is, there is no way we can stay here without being noticed."

"We will just have to be extra careful then." Esme said.

"**Who are **_**they?**_**" I asked the girl from my Spanish class, whose name I'd forgotten. **

**As she looked up to see who I meant - though already knowing, probably, from my tone - suddenly he looked at her, the thinner one, the boyish one, the youngest, perhaps.**

"Actually, I am the oldest based on how long I have been with this family."

"Actually you aren't the oldest based on how long you have been with the family. That would be Carlisle." I said.

**He looked at my neighbor for just a fraction of a second, and then his dark eyes flickered to mine. **

**He looked away quickly, more quickly than I could, though in a flush of embarrassment I dropped my eyes at once. In that brief flash of a glance, his face held nothing of interest - it was as if she had called his name, and he'd looked up in involuntary response, already having decided not to answer.**

"She probably said my name in her thoughts. Wouldn't be the first time though."

**My neighbor giggled in embarrassment, looking at the table like I did. **

"**That's Edward and Emmett Cullen, and Rosalie and Jasper Hale. The one who left was Alice Cullen; they all live together with Dr. Cullen and his wife." She said this under her breath. **

**I glanced sideways at the beautiful boy, who was looking at his tray now, picking a bagel to pieces with long, pale fingers. His mouth was moving very quickly, his perfect lips barely opening. The other three still looked away, and yet I felt he was speaking quietly to them. **

**Strange, unpopular names, I thought. The kinds of names grandparents had.**

"Oh honey, if only you knew, we are pretty much older than grandparents." Emmett said.

**But maybe that was in vogue here - small town names? I finally remembered that my neighbor was called Jessica, a perfectly common name. There were two girls named Jessica in my history class back home.**

"**They are… very nice-looking." I struggled with the conspicuous understatement. **

"**Yes!" Jessica agreed with another giggle. "They're all**_** together **_**though - Emmett and Rosalie, and Jasper and Alice, I mean. And they **_**live **_**together." Her voice held all the shock and condemnation of the small town, I thought critically. But, if I was being honest, I had to admit that even in Phoenix, it would cause gossip.**

"Girl, everywhere we go we cause gossip. It is just something that happens when you are a Cullen or a Hale." Emmett said yet again. Maybe we could put five pieces of duck tape on him and his hands so he won't have to talk again.

"**Which one are the Cullens?" I asked. "They don't look related…" **

"**Oh, they're not. Dr. Cullen is really young, in his twenties or early thirties. They're all adopted. The Hales **_**are**_** brother and sister, twins - the blondes - and they're foster children." **

"**They look a little old for foster children."**

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, we have heard this story plenty of times; can we just skip it, please?"

THWACK. "Shut up Emmett."

"**They are now, Jasper and Rosalie are both eighteen, but they've been with Mrs. Cullen since they were eight. She's their aunt or something like that."**

"**That's really kind of nice - for them to take care of all those kids like that, when they're so young and everything."**

"**I guess so," Jessica admitted reluctantly, and I got the impression that she didn't like the doctor and his wife for some reason. With the glances she was throwing at their adopted children. I would presume the reason was jealousy. "I think that Mrs. Cullen can't have any kids, though," she added, as if that lessened their kindness.**

"Aw, thanks darling. It really does mean a lot even though you aren't here and you are just in the book."

**Throughout all this conversation, my eyes flickered again and again to the table where the strange family sat. They continued to look at the walls and not eat.**

"**Have they always lived in Forks?" I asked. Surely I would have noticed them on one of my summers here.**

"**No," she said in a voice that implied it should be obvious, even to a new arrival like me. "They just moved down two years ago from somewhere in Alaska."**

**I felt a surge of pity, and relief.**

"Weird emotions coming from a human," Jasper commented.

**Pity because, as beautiful as they were, they were outsiders, clearly not accepted. Relief that I wasn't the only newcomer here, and certainly not the most interesting by any standard. **

**As I examined them, the youngest, one of the Cullens, looked up and met my gaze, this time with evident curiosity in his expression.**

"Her thoughts must be interesting then." Edward commented curiously.

**As I looked swiftly away, it seemed to me that his glance held some kind of unmet expectation.**

"Hmm. That's a little weird."

"No doubt." Edward agreed with Emmett. I wonder what this means. Maybe her mind is fuzzy.

"**Which one is the boy with the reddish brown hair?" I asked. I peeked at him from the corner of my eye, and he was still staring at me, but not gawking like the other students had today - he had a slightly frustrated expression. I looked down again.**

"Maybe you are right Alice." I always am Edward. When are you going to learn?

"Mind to enlighten those of us who don't have mind reading or future-seeing powers?" Emmett asked.

"Alice thinks that maybe I can't read Bella's mind."

"Hmm. That will be interesting to find out." Carlisle said.

"**That's Edward. He's gorgeous, of course, but don't waste your time. He doesn't date. Apparently none of the girls are good-looking enough for him." She sniffed a clear case of sour grapes. I wondered when he'd turned her down.**

"Well it depends, the first time, the fifth time, the tenth time, or the twelfth time?" We all laughed. Yeah that's pretty much how many times Jessica has asked him out and it really does get annoying because we have all seen it before.

**I bit my lip to hide my smile. Then I glanced at him again. His face was turned away, but I thought his cheek appeared lifted, as if he were smiling, too.**

"I probably would do that."

**After a few more minutes, the four of them left the table together. They all were noticeably graceful - even the big, brawny one. It was unsettling to watch. The one named Edward didn't look at me again.**

"Oh this is just perfect. I have another girl who has a crush on me." Edward groaned. You know absolutely nothing yet. He gave me this puzzling look. Oh shoot. I mean I can't wait to go shopping for some new shoes and clothes for everyone else. Edward gave me the "you are weird" look.

**I sat at the table with Jessica and her friends longer than I would have if I'd been sitting alone. I was anxious not to be late for class on my first day. One of my new acquaintances, who considerately reminded me that her name was Angela,**

"Angela is pretty much the only trust worthy and nice girl at our school. I like her a lot." I said.

**had Biology II with me the next hour.**

"Well it looks like she will be sitting next to me," Edward said.

**We walked to class together in silence. She was shy, too.**

**When we entered the classroom, Angela went to sit at a black-topped lab table exactly like the ones I was used to. She already had a neighbor. In fact, all the tables were filled but one. Next to the center aisle, I recognized Edward Cullen by his unusual hair, sitting next to that single open seat.**

"What did I tell you?"

**As I walked down the aisle to introduce myself to the teacher and get my slip signed, I was watching him surreptitiously. Just as I passed, he suddenly went rigid in his seat. He stared at me again, meeting my eyes with the strangest expression on his face - it was hostile, furious.**

"What is going on Edward?" Esme asked.

"It's the future me and I wouldn't know you are the one reading it to us."

**I looked away quickly, shocked, going red again. I stumbled over a book in the walkway and had to catch myself on the edge of a table. The girl sitting there giggled. **

**I'd noticed that his eyes were black - coal black.**

"He must be thirsty." Jasper said.

"He will be fine besides Carlisle he does have the best self-control."

**Mr. Banner signed my slip and handed me a book with no nonsense about introductions. I could tell we were going to get along. Of course, he had no choice but to send me to the one open seat in the middle of the room. I kept my eyes down as I went to sit by **_**him**_**, bewildered by the antagonistic stare he'd given me. **

"Where are your manners Edward?" Esme said in an angered tone.

"This is the future me so I don't know."

**I didn't look up as I set my book on the table and took my seat, but I saw his posture change from the corner of my eye. He was leaning away from me, sitting on the extreme edge of his chair and averting his face like he smelled something bad.**

"Do you think that what happened to me is happening to Edward?" Emmett asked.

"It must be. She has to be my singer." Edward groaned.

"Well we will just have to see what happens." Esme said worried.

**Inconspicuously, I sniffed my hair. It smelled like strawberries, the scent of my favorite shampoo. It seemed an innocent enough odor. I let my hair fall over my right shoulder, making a dark curtain between us, and tried to pay attention to the teacher.**

**Unfortunately the lecture was on cellular anatomy, something I'd already studied. I took notes carefully anyway, always looking down.**

**I couldn't stop myself from peeking occasionally through the screen of my hair at the strange boy next to me. During the whole class, he never relaxed his stiff position on the edge of his chair, sitting as far from me as possible. I could see his hand on his left leg was clenched into a fist, tendons standing out under his pale skin. This, too, he never relaxed.**

"Edward Cullen! How could you…" Edward cut Esme off and said,

"Mom, it's better than attacking or killing her." 

**He had the long sleeves of his white shirt pushed up to his elbows, and his forearm was surprisingly hard and muscular beneath his light skin. He wasn't nearly as slight as he'd looked next to his burly brother.**

"Well of course with these big muscles of mine." We all laughed at this.

**The class seemed to drag on longer than the others. Was it because the day was finally coming to a close, or because I was waiting for his tight fist to loosen? It never did; he continued to sit so still it looked like he wasn't breathing.**

"I probably wouldn't if she is my singer."

**What was wrong with him? Was this his normal behavior? I questioned my judgment on Jessica's bitterness at lunch today. Maybe she was not as resentful as I'd thought.**

**It couldn't have anything to do with me. He didn't know me from Eve.**

"Oh sweet Bella, don't you worry, it's not you it's him and well your scent." Emmett joked but none of us were in the mood. We wanted to make sure Bella stays alive.

**I peeked up at him one more time, and regretted it. He was glaring down at me again, his black eyes full of revulsion. As I flinched away from him, shrinking against my chair, the phrase if looks could kill suddenly ran through my mind. **

"This poor girl she doesn't even know what's wrong. Edward you better try to be nice when she comes."

"Mom, I can't help it and besides that is the future me." Edward said.

**At that moment, the bell rang loudly, making me jump, and Edward Cullen was out of his seat. Fluidly, he rose - he was much taller than I'd thought - his back to me, and he was out the door before anyone else was out of their seat.**

"What is up with everyone? Are you guys trying to expose us?" Rosalie exclaimed.

"Well would you rather have me attack or well kill her?" Edward questioned. Rosalie huffed in defeat.

**I sat frozen in my seat, staring blankly after him. He was so mean.**

"I have nothing to say to you Edward." Esme said.

**It wasn't fair. I began gathering up my things slowly, trying to block the anger that filled me, for fear my eyes would tear up. For some reason, my temper was hardwired to my tear ducts. I usually cried when I was angry, a humiliating tendency.**

"**Aren't you Isabella Swan?" a male voice asked. **

**I looked up to see a cute, baby-faced boy, his pale blond hair carefully gelled into orderly spikes, smiling at me in a friendly way. He obviously didn't think I smelled bad.**

"No, Edward thinks you smell _really_ good." Jasper said.

"Anybody want to take a guess at who is talking to her?" Esme asked.

"Mike" We all said.

"**Bella," I corrected him, with a smile. **

"**I'm Mike." **

"**Hi, Mike."**

"Correct!" Emmett screamed.

"**Do you need any help finding your next class?" **

"**I'm headed to the gym, actually. I think I can find it."**

"**That's my next class, too." He seemed thrilled, though it wasn't that big of a coincidence in a school this small.**

**We walked to class together; he was chatterer- he supplied most of the conversation, which made it easy for me. He'd lived in California till he was ten, so he knew how I felt about the sun. It turned out he was in my English class also. He was the nicest person I'd met today. **

"That better change Edward." Esme said in a strict tone.

**But as we were entering the gym he asked, "So, did you stab Edward Cullen with a pencil or what? I've never seen him act like that."**

"She should stab you. That would be funny." Emmett said.

**I cringed. So I wasn't the only one who had noticed. And, apparently, that wasn't Edward Cullen's usual behavior. I decided to play dumb.**

"**Was that the boy I sat next to in Biology?" I asked artlessly.**

"**Yes," he said. "He looked like he was in pain or something."**

"**I don't know," I responded. "I never spoke to him."**

"Of course you didn't because he was being a jerk." I said.

"Really Alice?" Edward said. Yes of course Edward.

"**He's a weird guy."**

"I know right!" Emmett said.

**Mike lingered by me instead of heading to the dressing room. "If I were lucky enough to sit by you, I would have talked to you."**

"Edward you have more competition." Emmett said acting like his usual annoying and teasing self.

**I smiled at him before walking through the girls' locker room door. He was friendly and clearly admiring. But it wasn't enough to ease my irritation.**

**The Gym teacher, Coach Clapp, found me a uniform but didn't make me dress down for today's class. At home, only two years of P.E. were required. Here, P.E. was mandatory all four years. Forks was literally my personal hell on Earth.**

"Dude I want to be in her gym class. Talk about entertainment everyday!" Emmett said. It probably would be funny watching her in gym.

**I watched four volleyball games running simultaneously. Remembering how many injuries I had sustained — and inflicted — playing volleyball, I felt faintly nauseated.**

**The final bell rang at last. I walked slowly to the office to return my paperwork. The rain had drifted away, but the wind was strong, and colder. I wrapped my arms around myself.**

**When I walked into the warm office, I almost turned around and walked back out.**

**Edward Cullen stood at the desk in front of me.**

"What are you going to do now Edward?" Rosalie asked. I hope he doesn't cause any more trouble with Bella.

"I don't know what I'm going to do Rosalie because for the millionth time it is not me. That is the future or book me so, why don't we just listen and find out." Edward said in a very annoyed tone.

**I recognized again that tousled bronze hair. He didn't appear to notice the sound of my entrance. I stood pressed against the back wall, waiting for the receptionist to be free.**

**He was arguing with her in a low, attractive voice. I quickly picked up the gist of the argument. He was trying to trade from sixth-hour Biology to another time — any other time**

"She will probably be the only girl who realizes you are a freak Edward." Emmett said.

**I just couldn't believe that this was about me. It had to be something else, something that happened before I entered the Biology room. The look on his face must have been about another aggravation entirely. It was impossible that this stranger could take such a sudden, intense dislike to me.**

**The door opened again, and the cold wind suddenly gusted through the room, rustling the papers on the desk, swirling my hair around my face.**

"Well this is just great." Edward said in a sarcastic way.

**The girl who came in merely stepped to the desk, placed a note in the wire basket, and walked out again. But Edward Cullen's back stiffened, and he turned slowly to glare at me — his face was absurdly handsome — with piercing, hate-filled eyes. For an instant, I felt a thrill of genuine fear, raising the hair on my arms. The look only lasted a second, but it chilled me more than the freezing wind.**

"That poor little girl." Esme said.

**He turned back to the receptionist.**

**"Never mind, then," he said hastily in a voice like velvet. "I can see that it's impossible. Thank you so much for your help." And he turned on his heel without another look at me, and disappeared out the door.**

**I went meekly to the desk, my face white for once instead of red, and handed her the signed slip.**

**"How did your first day go, dear?" the receptionist asked maternally.**

**"Fine," I lied, my voice weak. She didn't look convinced.**

"And it's all thanks to the one the only Edward Cullen. Why don't you give yourself a round of applause Edward?"

"Rose that's a little harsh." I said.

"Oh he can handle it." Edward said nothing but just glared at Rose.

**When I got to the truck, it was almost the last car in the lot. It seemed like a haven, already the closest thing to home I had in this damp green hole. I sat inside for a while, just staring out the windshield blankly. But soon I was cold enough to need the heater, so I turned the key and the engine roared to life. I headed back to Charlie's house, fighting tears the whole way there.**

"Edward, how could you make her cry?" Esme said. Edward didn't reply but just looked down shamefully. "Anyways, that is the end of the chapter."

"I'll read next." Emmett said.

**AN: YAY! HAPPY DANCE! I finally made it to the end of the chapter. Well until next chapter…**


	5. IMPORTANT AUTHOR NOTE

AN: SORRY FOR THIS BUT IT IS IMPORTANT SO READ! XoxoSoftballTwihard28xoxo here. Just wanted to let all of you know that Mymusethynameistwilight and I are starting a new fan fiction account that we are doing together. We are super excited that we are getting to write together and we are hoping you are too. Also this doesn't mean that we are abandoning our original accounts. Our account will be named xoxoStupidShinyBatOwnersxoxo . At least one story will be posted in the near future. Thanks for sticking with us.

XoxoSoftballTwihard28xoxo and Mymusethynameistwilight!


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Sorry sorry sorry! I have been super busy lately with high school and sports and reading other fan fics so I just didn't have the time to update. PLEASE REALIZE UPDATES WILL BE SLOW DUE TO SOFTBALL AND HIGH SCHOOL SORRY :(. It also didn't help that I had huge writers block. I am hoping to be finished with this story in the next two months and I want to try to be finished with Ruined by July. We shall see what happens with that.**

**If you haven't already MyMuseThyNameIsTwilight and I have started a joint account called xoxoStupidShinyBatOwnersxoxo and have a story we are working on so you should go check that out.**

**Thank you to all who reviewed last chapter and to all of those who have reviewed my stories**

**Also make sure you give MyMuseThyNameIsTwilight some love and read and review her stories.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or any of the characters though I wish I did**

3rd pov

"Onto the next chapter!" Alice said in a very excited voice.

"Crazy pixie." Emmett said in a joking tone. Alice turned and growled at Emmett, obviously not happy with the nickname that Emmett used.

**The next day was better… and worse.**

"She is probably still upset with you Edward. I hope you don't do anything bad," Jasper said.

"I hope so too," Edward said so quite that the other Cullens could barely hear him**.**

**It was better because it wasn't raining yet, though the clouds were dense and opaque.**

"It will be soon. Forks truly never does stop raining." Rosalie said. Everyone else nodded in agreement.

**It was easier because I knew what to expect of my day. Mike came to sit by me in English, and walked me to my next class, with Chess Club Eric glaring at him all the while; that was nattering.**

"Poor girl has the most annoying boys following her every move. We know how you feel." Alice said.

**People didn't look at me quite as much as they had yesterday. I sat with a big group at lunch that included Mike, Eric, Jessica, and several other people whose names and faces I now remembered. I began to feel like I was treading water, instead of drowning in it.**

"At least things are starting to get easier for her." Esme said.

**It was worse because I was tired; I still couldn't sleep with the wind echoing around the house. It was worse because Mr. Varner called on me in Trig when my hand wasn't raised and I had the wrong answer.**

"Mr. Varner is the meanest teacher who has no heart and just teaches to make everyone else's life miserable. Gosh I hate him, so much." Emmett said

**It was miserable because I had to play volleyball, and the one time I didn't cringe out of the way of the ball, I hit my teammate in the head with it. **

"Ha ha that a way my clumsy Bella." Emmett said.

**And it was worse because Edward Cullen wasn't in school at all. **

"Aw somebody has a crush on Edward!" Jasper exclaimed in a teasing way.

"Shut up Jasper." Edward said while telling Emmett to continue reading.

**All morning I was dreading lunch, fearing his bizarre glares. Part of me wanted to confront him and demand to know what his problem was.**

"Oh honey, you don't even know half of his problems. It would probably take him days to explain everything that is wrong with him." Rosalie said while everyone else chuckled except Edward who was glaring at Rosalie for saying that.

**While I was lying sleepless in my bed, I even imagined what I would say. But I knew myself too well to think I would really have the guts to do it. I made the Cowardly Lion look like the terminator.**

"Nice reference to two completely unrelated films." Emmett said.

**But when I walked into the cafeteria with Jessica — trying to keep my eyes from sweeping the place for him, and failing entirely — I saw that his four siblings of sorts were sitting together at the same table, and he was not with them.**

"She must be sad. Lover boy isn't there. Darn." Jasper said.

"Jasper please stop teasing Edward." Carlisle said.

**Mike intercepted us and steered us to his table. Jessica seemed elated by the attention, and her friends quickly joined us. But as I tried to listen to their easy chatter, I was terribly uncomfortable, waiting nervously for the moment he would arrive. I hoped that he would simply ignore me when he came, and prove my suspicions false.**

**He didn't come, and as time passed I grew more and more tense. I walked to Biology with more confidence when, by the end of lunch, he still hadn't showed up. **

"Jasper is right; she is almost obsessed with you. It is like she will go nuts without you." Emmett said.

"Emmett that isn't necessarily true. You saw when you were reading an early part that she just wanted to ask him what his problem was the first day they met." Esme said to try and stop the boys from teasing her other son.

**Mike, who was taking on the qualities of a golden retriever, walked faithfully by my side to class. **

"Golden retriever suits Mike very well." Edward said. All the Cullens started to laugh and nod in agreement.

**I held my breath at the door, but Edward Cullen wasn't there, either. I exhaled and went to my seat. Mike followed, talking about an upcoming trip to the beach.**

**He lingered by my desk till the bell rang. Then he smiled at me wistfully and went to sit by a girl with braces and a bad perm. It looked like I was going to have to do something about Mike, and it wouldn't be easy. In a town like this, where everyone lived on top of everyone else, diplomacy was essential. I had never been enormously tactful; I had no practice dealing with overly friendly boys.**

"Does that mean she has never had a boyfriend?" Alice asked disbelievingly.

**I was relieved that I had the desk to myself, that Edward was absent. I told myself that repeatedly. But I couldn't get rid of the nagging suspicion that I was the reason he wasn't there.**

"Well your blood is actually the reason why Edward isn't there." Jasper said.

**It was ridiculous, and egotistical, to think that I could affect anyone that strongly. It was impossible. And yet I couldn't stop worrying that it was true. When the school day was finally done, and the blush was fading out of my cheeks from the volleyball incident, I changed quickly back into my jeans and navy blue sweater. I hurried from the girls' locker room, pleased to find that I had successfully evaded my retriever friend for the moment. I walked swiftly out to the parking lot. It was crowded now with fleeing students. I got in my truck and dug through my bag to make sure I had what I needed.**

**Last night I'd discovered that Charlie couldn't cook much besides fried eggs and bacon.**

"Charlie never was one to be able to cook." Esme said.

"How do you know?" Emmett asked.

"We went over to his house one night and he almost burnt the entire house down while trying to cook for us." Carlisle said.

**So I requested that I be assigned kitchen detail for the duration of my stay. He was willing enough to hand over the keys to the banquet hall. I also found out that he had no food in the house. So I had my shopping list and the cash from the jar in the cupboard labeled FOOD MONEY, and I was on my way to the Thriftway.**

**I gunned my deafening engine to life, ignoring the heads that turned in my direction, and backed carefully into a place in the line of cars that were waiting to exit the parking lot. As I waited, trying to pretend that the earsplitting rumble was coming from someone else's car, I saw the two Cullens and the Hale twins getting into their car. It was the shiny new Volvo. Of course. I hadn't noticed their clothes before — I'd been too mesmerized by their faces. **

"WHAT! How could she not notice our clothes before? I spend so much time everyday trying to make sure we all look stunning in our clothes." Alice yelled while everyone else just rolled their eyes at Alice's statement.

**Now that I looked, it was obvious that they were all dressed exceptionally well; simply, but in clothes that subtly hinted at designer origins. With their remarkable good looks, the style with which they carried themselves, they could have worn dishrags and pulled it off. **

"Like I would ever wear dish rags." Rosalie said while Alice and she were shaking in disgust.

**It seemed excessive for them to have both looks and money. **

**But as far as I could tell, life worked that way most of the time. It didn't look as if it bought them any acceptance here.**

"No we just prefer silence and nobody around us. We don't want to get any humans involved with our life styles." Rosalie said while glancing at Edward.

**No, I didn't fully believe that. The isolation must be their desire; I couldn't imagine any door that wouldn't be opened by that degree of beauty. They looked at my noisy truck as I passed them, just like everyone else. I kept my eyes straight forward and was relieved when I finally was free of the school grounds.**

**The Thriftway was not far from the schools, just a few streets south, off the highway. It was nice to be inside the supermarket; it felt normal. I did the shopping at home, and I fell into the pattern of the familiar task gladly. The store was big enough inside that I couldn't hear the tapping of the rain on the roof to remind me where I was.**

**When I got home, I unloaded all the groceries, stuffing them in wherever I could find an open space. I hoped Charlie wouldn't mind. I wrapped potatoes in foil and stuck them in the oven to bake, covered a steak in marinade and balanced it on top of a carton of eggs in the fridge.**

**When I was finished with that, I took my book bag upstairs. Before starting my homework, I changed into a pair of dry sweats, pulled my damp hair up into a pony-tail, and checked my e-mail for the first time. I had three messages. "Bella," my mom wrote…**

**Write me as soon as you get in. Tell me how your flight was. Is it raining? I miss you already. I'm almost finished packing for Florida, but I can't find my pink blouse. Do you know where I put it? Phil says hi. -Mom.**

**I sighed and went to the next. It was sent eight hours after the first.**

"Wow her mother must really be worried." Carlisle said.

"Usually mothers are." Esme said.

**"Bella," she wrote…**

**Why haven't you e-mailed me yet? **

**What are you waiting for? Mom.**

**The last was from this morning. Isabella, **

"Uh Oh! Somebody is in trouble with their mama." Emmett said.

**If I haven't heard from you by 5:30 pm today I'm calling Charlie. **

**I checked the clock. I still had an hour, but my mom was well known for jumping the gun.**

**Mom,**

**Calm down. I'm writing right now. Don't do anything rash.**

**Bella.**

**I sent that, and began again.**

**Mom,**

**Everything is great. Of course it's raining. I was waiting for something to write about.**

**School isn't bad, just a little repetitive. I met some nice kids who sit by me at lunch. Your blouse is at the dry cleaners - you were supposed to pick it up Friday. Charlie bought me a truck, can you believe it? I love it. It's old, but really sturdy, which is good, you know, for me. I miss you, too. I'll write again soon, but I'm not going to check my e-mail every five minutes. Relax, breathe. I love you.**

**Bella.**

"Aw nothing about you Eddie." Jasper said.

"My name is not Eddie, Jasper." Edward said.

**I had decided to read Wuthering Heights — the novel we were currently studying in English yet again for the fun of it, and that's what I was doing when Charlie came home. **

"Ew she likes that book and would read it just for fun. Something is wrong with her." Rosalie said.

"Don't say that about her. She is allowed to like whatever she wants to." Edward said.

"Defending her again Eddie. I think Eddie has a crush on her." Emmett said.

"That is impossible she is a human." Edward said to defend himself.

**I'd lost track of the time, and I hurried downstairs to take the potatoes out and put the steak in to broil.**

**"Bella?" my father called out when he heard me on the stairs.**

**Who else? I thought to myself. **

"It could have been some serial killer. Not the kind that kills cereal but the one that kills people." Emmett said trying to be funny.

"**Hey dad, welcome home."**

**"Thanks." He hung up his gun belt and stepped out of his boots as I bustled about the kitchen. As far as I was aware, he'd never shot the gun on the job. But he kept it ready.**

**When I came here as a child, he would always remove the bullets as soon as he walked in the door. I guess he considered me old enough now not to shoot myself by accident, and not depressed enough to shoot myself on purpose.**

"Well I hope she isn't depressed." Carlisle said.

"I still think he should take the bullets out just in case." Edward said. After he said this Alice let her thoughts slip up and thought, _and now the over protective side of him comes out_. Edward just looked at her in confusion but she was already thinking about the next shoe sale.

**"What's for dinner?" he asked warily. My mother was an imaginative cook, and her experiments weren't always edible. I was surprised, and sad, that he seemed to remember that far back.**

**"Steak and potatoes," I answered, and he looked relieved.**

**He seemed to feel awkward standing in the kitchen doing nothing; he lumbered into the living room to watch TV while I worked. We were both more comfortable that way. I made a salad while the steaks cooked, and set the table.**

**I called him in when dinner was ready, and he sniffed appreciatively as he walked into the room.**

**"Smells good, Bells."**

**"Thanks."**

**We ate in silence for a few minutes. It wasn't uncomfortable. Neither of us was bothered by the quiet. In some ways, we were well suited for living together.**

**"So, how did you like school? Have you made any friends?" he asked as he was taking seconds.**

**"Well, I have a few classes with a girl named Jessica. I sit with her friends at lunch. And there's this boy, Mike, who's very friendly. Everybody seems pretty nice." With one outstanding exception. **

"Hmm wonder who that could be." Emmett said jokingly.

**"That must be Mike Newton. Nice kid — nice family. His dad owns the sporting goods store just outside of town. He makes a good living off all the backpackers who come through here." **

**"Do you know the Cullen family?" I asked hesitantly.**

"And now we are talked about at her house. Great." Rosalie said sarcastically.

**"Dr. Cullen's family? Sure. Dr. Cullen's a great man." **

"I always thought that Charlie was a good man as well." Carlisle said.

**"They… the kids… are a little different. They don't seem to fit in very well at school." **

**Charlie surprised me by looking angry.**

**"People in this town," he muttered. "Dr. Cullen is a brilliant surgeon who could probably work in any hospital in the world, make ten times the salary he gets here," he continued, getting louder. "We're lucky to have him — lucky that his wife wanted to live in a small town. He's an asset to the community, and all of those kids are well behaved and polite. I had my doubts, when they first moved in, with all those adopted teenagers. I thought we might have some problems with them. But they're all very mature — I haven't had one speck of trouble from any of them. That's more than I can say for the children of some folks who have lived in this town for generations. And they stick together the way a family should — camping trips every other weekend… Just because they're newcomers, people have to talk." It was the longest speech I'd ever heard Charlie make. He must feel strongly about whatever people were saying.**

"Wow I never knew Charlie felt that way about us," Jasper said.

"Charlie has always been an extremely nice man and Chief from the times I have worked with him." Charlie said.

**I backpedaled. "They seemed nice enough to me. I just noticed they kept to themselves. They're all very attractive," I added, trying to be more complimentary.**

**"You should see the doctor," Charlie said, laughing. "It's a good thing he's happily married. A lot of the nurses at the hospital have a hard time concentrating on their work with him around."**

"I hate that sometimes. I wish they wouldn't do that." Carlisle sighed.

"That is why I try to avoid going to your work. Their thoughts aren't pleasant all the time" Edward said.

**We lapsed back into silence as we finished eating. He cleared the table while I started on the dishes. He went back to the TV, and after I finished washing the dishes by hand — no dishwasher — I went upstairs unwillingly to work on my math homework. I could feel a tradition in the making. That night it was finally quiet. I fell asleep quickly, exhausted.**

**The rest of the week was uneventful. I got used to the routine of my classes. By Friday I was able to recognize, if not name, almost all the students at school. In Gym, the kids on my team learned not to pass me the ball and to step quickly in front of me if the other team tried to take advantage of my weakness. I happily stayed out of their way.**

**Edward Cullen didn't come back to school.**

"Oh, Eddie got himself a stalker." Emmett said.

Edward just growled in response to Emmett's statement and how he called him Eddie.

**Every day, I watched anxiously until the rest of the Cullen's entered the cafeteria without him. Then I could relax and join in the lunchtime conversation. Mostly it centered around a trip to the La Push Ocean Park in two weeks that Mike was putting together. I was invited, and I had agreed to go, more out of politeness than desire.**

"Great now she is going to be by immature mutts. This is just what she needs." Edward said with a hint of sarcasm.

"Edward the wolfs were around a long time ago they are probably dead by now." Carlisle said.

**Beaches should be hot and dry.**

**By Friday I was perfectly comfortable entering my Biology class, no longer worried that Edward would be there. For all I knew, he had dropped out of school. I tried not to think about him, but I couldn't totally suppress the worry that I was responsible for his continued absence, ridiculous as it seemed.**

"No it is your blood that is the cause of all this." Jasper said

"I swear Edward if you don't come back I will literally kick your butt." Alice said.

"As long as it gets this annoying human to stop talking so much about you then I am game." Rosalie said with a harsh tone.

**My first weekend in Forks passed without incident. Charlie, unused to spending time in the usually empty house, worked most of the weekend. I cleaned the house, got ahead on my homework, and wrote my mom more bogusly cheerful e-mail. I did drive to the library Saturday, but it was so poorly stocked that I didn't bother to get a card; I would have to make a date to visit Olympia or Seattle soon and find a good bookstore. I wondered idly what kind of gas mileage the truck got… and shuddered at the thought.**

"That truck shouldn't even be able to be allowed on the road. It is the most disgusting car I have ever heard of." Rosalie said.

**The rain stayed soft over the weekend, quiet, so I was able to sleep well.**

**People greeted me in the parking lot Monday morning. I didn't know all their names, but I waved back and smiled at everyone. It was colder this morning, but happily not raining. In English, Mike took his accustomed seat by my side. We had a pop quiz on Wuthering Heights. It was straightforward, very easy.**

"Ew pop quiz. I have always hated those." Emmett said.

"Why? They should be easy for you since you have been through school so many times." Esme said.

**All in all, I was feeling a lot more comfortable than I had thought I would feel by this point. More comfortable than I had ever expected to feel here.**

**When we walked out of class, the air was full of swirling bits of white. I could hear people shouting excitedly to each other. The wind bit at my cheeks, my nose.**

**"Wow," Mike said. "It's snowing."**

**I looked at the little cotton fluffs that were building up along the sidewalk and swirling erratically past my face.**

**"Ew." Snow. There went my good day. He looked surprised. "Don't you like snow?"**

**"No. That means it's too cold for rain." Obviously. "Besides, I thought it was supposed to come down in flakes — you know, each one unique and all that. These just look like the ends of Q-tips."**

"Who could ever hate snow? It is the best thing ever." Emmett said.

"Obviously she does." Rosalie said.

**"Haven't you ever seen snow fall before?" he asked incredulously.**

**"Sure I have." I paused." On TV."**

"This girl is crazy. Never seeing snow. No wonder she hates snow so much." Jasper said.

**Mike laughed. And then a big, squishy ball of dripping snow smacked into the back of his head. We both turned to see where it came from. I had my suspicions about Eric, who was walking away, his back toward us — in the wrong direction for his next class. Mike apparently had the same notion. He bent over and began scraping together a pile of the white mush.**

**"I'll see you at lunch, okay?" I kept walking as I spoke. "Once people start throwing wet stuff, I go inside."**

"HAHA! That's what she said." Emmett said with a booming laughter.

"Seriously Emmett can you be anymore immature." Edward said.

**He just nodded, his eyes on Eric's retreating figure.**

**Throughout the morning, everyone chattered excitedly about the snow; apparently it was the first snowfall of the new year. I kept my mouth shut. Sure, it was drier than rain — until it melted in your socks.**

"That is the only reason why I hate snow." Alice said.

**I walked alertly to the cafeteria with Jessica after Spanish. Mush balls were flying everywhere. I kept a binder in my hands, ready to use it as a shield if necessary. **

**Jessica thought I was hilarious, but something in my expression kept her from lobbing a snowball at me herself.**

**Mike caught up to us as we walked in the doors, laughing, with ice melting the spikes in his hair. He and Jessica were talking animatedly about the snow fight as we got in line to buy food. I glanced toward that table in the corner out of habit. And then I froze where I stood. There were five people at the table. Jessica pulled on my arm.**

"And he is back. Now we get to hear about how excited she is about Edward being back." Rosalie said and the sarcasm was well noted.

**"Hello? Bella? What do you want?"**

**I looked down; my ears were hot. I had no reason to feel self-conscious, I reminded myself. I hadn't done anything wrong.**

**"What's with Bella?" Mike asked Jessica. "Nothing," I answered. "I'll just get a soda today." I caught up to the end of the line.**

**"Aren't you hungry?" Jessica asked.**

**"Actually, I feel a little sick," I said, my eyes still on the floor.**

"I really hope you don't mess anything up with her, Edward. She is so sweet." Esme said.

"Why do you say that this is what is happening in the story not for real." Edward said.

**I waited for them to get their food, and then followed them to a table, my eyes on my feet.**

**I sipped my soda slowly, my stomach churning. Twice Mike asked, with unnecessary concern, how I was feeling.**

**I told him it was nothing, but I was wondering if I should play it up and escape to the nurse's office for the next hour.**

**Ridiculous. I shouldn't have to run away.**

**I decided to permit myself one glance at the Cullen family's table. If he was glaring at me, I would skip Biology, like the coward I was.**

**I kept my head down and glanced up under my lashes. None of them were looking this way. I lifted my head a little.**

**They were laughing. Edward, Jasper, and Emmett all had their hair entirely saturated with melting snow. Alice and Rosalie were leaning away as Emmett shook his dripping hair toward them. They were enjoying the snowy day, just like everyone else — only they looked more like a scene from a movie than the rest of us.**

"Oh us and our snow fights are truly amazing." Jasper said thinking back to all the times they had snowball fights.

**But, aside from the laughter and playfulness, there was something different, and I couldn't quite pinpoint what that difference was. I examined Edward the most carefully.**

**His skin was less pale, I decided — flushed from the snow fight maybe — the circles under his eyes much less noticeable. But there was something more. I pondered, staring, trying to isolate the change.**

"She notices way too much for a human. We are going to have to move again if this actually happens." Rosalie said annoyed with the fact that they were going to have to move again probably.

**"Bella, what are you staring at?" Jessica intruded, her eyes following my stare.**

**At that precise moment, his eyes flashed over to meet mine.**

**I dropped my head, letting my hair fall to conceal my face. I was sure, though, in the instant our eyes met, that he didn't look harsh or unfriendly as he had the last time I'd seen him. He looked merely curious again, unsatisfied in some way.**

**"Edward Cullen is staring at you," Jessica giggled in my ear.**

"Oh, Eddie. You love her and can't keep your eyes off her." Emmett said.

"Shut up Emmett. Someone probably just said her name in their thoughts." Edward said.

**"He doesn't look angry, does he?" I couldn't help asking.**

**"No," she said, sounding confused by my question. "Should he be?"**

**"I don't think he likes me," I confided. I still felt queasy. I put my head down on my arm.**

**"The Cullens don't like anybody…well, they don't notice anybody enough to like them. But he's still staring at you."**

**"Stop looking at him," I hissed.**

**She snickered, but she looked away. I raised my head enough to make sure that she did, contemplating violence if she resisted.**

**Mike interrupted us then — he was planning an epic battle of the blizzard in the parking lot after school and wanted us to join. Jessica agreed enthusiastically. The way she looked at Mike left little doubt that she would be up for anything he suggested. I kept silent. I would have to hide in the gym until the parking lot cleared.**

"If only we knew her. I would track her down and make sure she gets hit with a snowball." Emmett said.

**For the rest of the lunch hour I very carefully kept my eyes at my own table. I decided to honor the bargain I'd made with myself. Since he didn't look angry, I would go to Biology. My stomach did frightened little flips at the thought of sitting next to him again. **

**I didn't really want to walk to class with Mike as usual — he seemed to be a popular target for the snowball snipers — but when we went to the door, everyone besides me groaned in unison.**

**It was raining, washing all traces of the snow away in clear, icy ribbons down the side of the walkway. I pulled my hood up, secretly pleased. I would be free to go straight home after Gym.**

"Darn the snow didn't last long and we were probably planning to have a snowball fight at home to continue on from the one at school." Alice said.

**Mike kept up a string of complaints on the way to building four.**

**Once inside the classroom, I saw with relief that my table was still empty. Mr. Banner was walking around the room, distributing one microscope and box of slides to each table. Class didn't start for a few minutes, and the room buzzed with conversation. I kept my eyes away from the door, doodling idly on the cover of my notebook.**

**I heard very clearly when the chair next to me moved, but my eyes stayed carefully focused on the pattern I was drawing.**

**"Hello," said a quiet, musical voice.**

**I looked up, stunned that he was speaking to me. He was sitting as far away from me as the desk allowed, but his chair was angled toward me. His hair was dripping wet, disheveled — even so, he looked like he'd just finished shooting a commercial for hair gel. His dazzling face was friendly, open, a slight smile on his flawless lips. But his eyes were careful. "My name is Edward Cullen," he continued. "I didn't have a chance to introduce myself last week. You must be Bella Swan." My mind was spinning with confusion. Had I made up the whole thing? He was perfectly polite now. I had to speak; he was waiting. But I couldn't think of anything conventional to say.**

"No way Edward Cullen is like totally talking to Bella." Rosalie said in a mocking and sarcastic tone.

**"H-how do you know my name?" I stammered.**

"She is stuttering this is hilarious." Emmett said.

**He laughed a soft, enchanting laugh.**

**"Oh, I think everyone knows your name. The whole town's been waiting for you to arrive."**

**I grimaced. I knew it was something like that.**

**"No," I persisted stupidly. "I meant, why did you call me Bella?"**

**He seemed confused. "Do you prefer Isabella?"**

**"No, I like Bella," I said. "But I think Charlie — I mean my dad — must call me Isabella behind my back — that's what everyone here seems to know me as," I tried to explain, feeling like an utter moron.**

**"Oh." He let it drop. I looked away awkwardly.**

"Edward how can you make a mistake like that she probably is questioning even more now." Jasper said.

"I really don't have any idea I usually am not like this." Edward said not knowing what was going to happen.

**Thankfully, Mr. Banner started class at that moment. I tried to concentrate as he explained the lab we would be doing today. The slides in the box were out of order. Working as lab partners, we had to separate the slides of onion root tip cells into the phases of mitosis they represented and label them accordingly. We weren't supposed to use our books. In twenty minutes, he would be coming around to see who had it right.**

**"Get started," he commanded.**

**"Ladies first, partner?" Edward asked. I looked up to see him smiling a crooked smile so beautiful that I could only stare at him like an idiot.**

**"Or I could start, if you wish." The smile faded; he was obviously wondering if I was mentally competent.**

**"No," I said, flushing. "I'll go ahead."**

**I was showing off, just a little. I'd already done this lab, and I knew what I was looking for. It should be easy. I snapped the first slide into place under the microscope and adjusted it quickly to the 40X objective. I studied the slide briefly.**

"I hope you aren't going to show off as well." Esme said.

"Wow she must be really smart if she has already done that." Carlisle said approvingly.

**My assessment was confident." Prophase."**

**"Do you mind if I look?" he asked as I began to remove the slide. His hand caught mine, to stop me, as he asked. His fingers were ice-cold, like he'd been holding them in a snowdrift before class. But that wasn't why I jerked my hand away so quickly. When he touched me, it stung my hand as if an electric current had passed through us.**

"What does that mean? I thought that couldn't happen if it was a human. Who knows maybe it was just a coincidence." Edward said in a disbelieving way.

**"I'm sorry," he muttered, pulling his hand back immediately. However, he continued to reach for the microscope. I watched him, still staggered, as he examined the slide for an even shorter time than I had.**

**"Prophase," he agreed, writing it neatly in the first space on our worksheet. He swiftly switched out the first slide for the second, and then glanced at it cursorily.**

**"Anaphase," he murmured, writing it down as he spoke.**

**I kept my voice indifferent. "May I?"**

**He smirked and pushed the microscope to me.**

"Oh she is testing you." Emmett said.

"Edward what did I say about showing off." Esme said.

"Let's not forget that this is a story meaning it is not actually happening." Edward said.

**I looked through the eyepiece eagerly, only to be disappointed. Dang it, he was right. "Slide three?" I held out my hand without looking at him. He handed it to me; it seemed like he was being careful not to touch my skin again. I took the most fleeting look I could manage.**

**"Interphase." I passed him the microscope before he could ask for it. He took a swift peek, and then wrote it down. I would have written it while he looked, but his clear, elegant script intimidated me. I didn't want to spoil the page with my clumsy scrawl.**

**We were finished before anyone else was close. I could see Mike and his partner comparing two slides again and again, and another group had their book open under the table.**

**Which left me with nothing to do but try to not look at him… unsuccessfully. I glanced up, and he was staring at me, that same inexplicable look of frustration in his eyes.**

**Suddenly I identified that subtle difference in his face.**

**"Did you get contacts?" I blurted out unthinkingly.**

**He seemed puzzled by my unexpected question. "No."**

**"Oh," I mumbled. "I thought there was something different about your eyes."**

**He shrugged, and looked away.**

**In fact, I was sure there was something different. I vividly remembered the flat black color of his eyes the last time he'd glared at me — the color was striking against the background of his pale skin and his auburn hair. Today, his eyes were a completely different color: a strange ocher, darker than butterscotch, but with the same golden tone. I didn't understand how that could be, unless he was lying for some reason about the contacts. Or maybe Forks was making me crazy in the literal sense of the word.**

"She is noticing way too much we are going to have to take extreme caution if we want to make sure that she doesn't find out who we actually are." Carlisle said.

"Maybe we should all make sure we hunt before she comes so she won't notice that." Jasper said.

"She will notice eventually though we won't be able to stop our eyes from changing to black unless we hunt every night and I am sure we all won't want to do that." Alice said.

"Why don't we just keep reading and find out what to do from there." Esme said.

**I looked down. His hands were clenched into hard fists again.**

**Mr. Banner came to our table then, to see why we weren't working. He looked over our shoulders to glance at the completed lab, and then stared more intently to check the answers.**

**"So, Edward, didn't you think Isabella should get a chance with the microscope?" Mr. Banner asked.**

**"Bella," Edward corrected automatically. "Actually, she identified three of the five."**

**Mr. Banner looked at me now; his expression was skeptical.**

**"Have you done this lab before?" he asked.**

**I smiled sheepishly. "Not with onion root."**

**"Whitefish blastula?"**

**"Yeah."**

**Mr. Banner nodded. "Were you in an advanced placement program in Phoenix?"**

**"Yes."**

**"Well," he said after a moment, "I guess it's good you two are lab partners." He mumbled something else as he walked away. After he left, I began doodling on my notebook again.**

"Mr. Banner always seems to think that I always do all the work if we are with partners. I just one prefer to be alone at a table and two I don't want to get anything wrong especially because I have done this lab many times now." Edward said.

**"It's too bad about the snow, isn't it?" Edward asked. **

**I had the feeling that he was forcing himself to make small talk with me. Paranoia swept over me again. It was like he had heard my conversation with Jessica at lunch and was trying to prove me wrong.**

**"Not really," I answered honestly, instead of pretending to be normal like everyone else. I was still trying to dislodge the stupid feeling of suspicion, and I couldn't concentrate.**

**"You don't like the cold." It wasn't a question.**

**"Or the wet."**

**"Forks must be a difficult place for you to live," he mused.**

**"You have no idea," I muttered darkly.**

"Why did she come here then?" Rosalie asked with a rather rude tone.

**He looked fascinated by what I said, for some reason I couldn't imagine. His face was such a distraction that I tried not to look at it any more than courtesy absolutely demanded.**

**"Why did you come here, then?"**

"Looks like you and Eddie had a similar thoughts Rosie." Emmett said.

**No one had asked me that — not straight out like he did, demanding.**

**"It's… complicated."**

**"I think I can keep up," he pressed.**

**I paused for a long moment, and then made the mistake of meeting his gaze. His dark gold eyes confused me, and I answered without thinking.**

**"My mother got remarried," I said.**

"Does she not like the man who married her mom then?" Esme asked with a rather sad tone because she felt bad that this girl had to go through with that.

**"That doesn't sound so complex," he disagreed, but he was suddenly sympathetic.**

**"When did that happen?"**

**"Last September." My voice sounded sad, even to me.**

**"And you don't like him," Edward surmised, his tone still kind.**

**"No, Phil is fine. Too young, maybe, but nice enough."**

**"Why didn't you stay with them?"**

**I couldn't fathom his interest, but he continued to stare at me with penetrating eyes, as if my dull life's story was somehow vitally important.**

"That's because Eddie has a crush on you." Emmett said with a grin on his face. He loved teasing Edward.

"I am just curious because I can't read her mind. There is no other reason." Edward said.

**"Phil travels a lot. He plays ball for a living." I half-smiled.**

**"Have I heard of him?" he asked, smiling in response.**

**"Probably not. He doesn't play well. Strictly minor league. He moves around a lot."**

**"And your mother sent you here so that she could travel with him." He said it as an assumption again, not a question.**

**My chin raised a fraction." No, she did not send me here. I sent myself."**

**His eyebrows knit together. "I don't understand," he admitted, and he seemed unnecessarily frustrated by that fact.**

**I sighed. Why was I explaining this to him? He continued to stare at me with obvious curiosity.**

"It seems that she just can't stop herself around you." Emmett said while still joking with Edward. Edward was about to lose his temper with the thoughts that Emmett was saying but Jasper calmed him down before a fight broke out.

Edward thanked Jasper and Jasper nodded in response**.**

**"She stayed with me at first, but she missed him. It made her unhappy… so I decided it was time to spend some quality time with Charlie." My voice was glum by the time I finished.**

**"But now you're unhappy," he pointed out.**

**"And?" I challenged.**

"She is so unselfish. I wish there were more people like her in the world." Esme said.

**"That doesn't seem fair." He shrugged, but his eyes were still intense.**

**I laughed without humor. "Hasn't anyone ever told you? Life isn't fair."**

"I have heard that plenty of times especially because I am a vampire after all." Edward said.

**"I believe I have heard that somewhere before," he agreed dryly.**

**"So that's all," I insisted, wondering why he was still staring at me that way.**

**His gaze became appraising. "You put on a good show," he said slowly. "But I'd be willing to bet that you're suffering more than you let anyone see."**

**I grimaced at him, resisting the impulse to stick out my tongue like a five-year-old, and looked away.**

"Ha I do the same thing all the time to Edward. She should've still done it." Alice said.

**"Am I wrong?"**

**I tried to ignore him.**

**"I didn't think so," he murmured smugly.**

**"Why does it matter to you?" I asked, irritated. I kept my eyes away, watching the teacher make his rounds.**

**"That's a very good question," he muttered, so quietly that I wondered if he was talking to himself. **

"There is another thing that she noticed. What is wrong with this human?" Rosalie asked.

"Nothing is wrong with her." Edward replied.

**However, after a few seconds of silence, I decided that was the only answer I was going to get. I sighed, scowling at the blackboard.**

**"Am I annoying you?" he asked. He sounded amused.**

**I glanced at him without thinking… and told the truth again." Not exactly. I'm more annoyed at myself. My face is so easy to read — my mother always calls me her open book." I frowned.**

**"On the contrary, I find you very difficult to read." Despite everything that I'd said and he'd guessed, he sounded like he meant it.**

**"You must be a good reader then," I replied.**

**"Usually." He smiled widely, flashing a set of perfect, ultra white teeth.**

"Sometimes it gets annoying from how good he is." Jasper said.

**Mr. Banner called the class to order then, and I turned with relief to listen. I was in disbelief that I'd just explained my dreary life to this bizarre, beautiful boy who may or may not despise me. He'd seemed engrossed in our conversation, but now I could see, from the corner of my eye, that he was leaning away from me again, his hands gripping the edge of the table with unmistakable tension.**

"I do not despise her it is just her blood." Edward said.

"You act like you are trying to explain that to her even though she isn't even here." Alice said.

**I tried to appear attentive as Mr. Banner illustrated, with transparencies on the overhead projector, what I had seen without difficulty through the microscope. But my thoughts were unmanageable.**

**When the bell finally rang, Edward rushed as swiftly and as gracefully from the room as he had last Monday. And, like last Monday, I stared after him in amazement.**

**Mike skipped quickly to my side and picked up my books for me. I imagined him with a wagging tail.**

"Ha I could totally see that." Emmett said.

**"That was awful," he groaned. "They all looked exactly the same. You're lucky you had Cullen for a partner."**

**"I didn't have any trouble with it," **

**I said, stung by his assumption. I regretted the snub instantly. "I've done the lab before, though," I added before he could get his feelings hurt.**

"She is almost too nice to people sometimes." Esme said.

**"Cullen seemed friendly enough today," he commented as we shrugged into our raincoats. He didn't seem pleased about it.**

**I tried to sound indifferent. "I wonder what was with him last Monday."**

**I couldn't concentrate on Mike's chatter as we walked to Gym, and PE didn't do much to hold my attention, either. Mike was on my team today. He chivalrously covered my position as well as his own, so my woolgathering was only interrupted when it was my turn to serve; my team ducked warily out of the way every time I was up.**

"I really love how clumsy this girl is. I really have to change Gym periods." Emmett said.

**The rain was just a mist as I walked to the parking lot, but I was happier when I was in the dry cab. I got the heater running, for once not caring about the mind-numbing roar of the engine. I unzipped my jacket, put the hood down, and fluffed my damp hair out so the heater could dry it on the way home.**

**I looked around me to make sure it was clear. That's when I noticed the still, white figure. Edward Cullen was leaning against the front door of the Volvo, three cars down from me, and staring intently in my direction. I swiftly looked away and threw the truck into reverse, almost hitting a rusty Toyota Corolla in my haste. **

**Lucky for the Toyota, I stomped on the brake in time. It was just the sort of car that my truck would make scrap metal of. **

**I took a deep breath, still looking out the other side of my car, and cautiously pulled out again, with greater success. I stared straight ahead as I passed the Volvo, but from a peripheral peek, I would swear I saw him laughing.**

"I probably was. Don't know how she would be able to catch that." Edward said.

"Well that is the end of the chapter who wants to read next." Emmett said.

"I will." Jasper said.

AN: *breathes out a sigh of relief* I finally made it to the end of the chapter. Please review because they make me feel happy and give me inspiration. Also if you want the characters to say something you thought of in any chapter pm me and I will put it in and acknowledge you. Be looking forward to an update for Ruined possibly coming soon when I get any ideas. Thank you. And love you all!


	7. Author note again

AN: I apologize this is not an update. THIS STORY IS ON THE LINE AND WILL POSSIBLY BE TAKEN DOWN. It is up to you to either save this story, have me rewrite the story or totally take it down. I will only write based on what you say. Every person counts so tell me what you think. Sorry for never updating and falling off the face of the Earth but I truly lost interest and never had time. YOU DECIDE THE FATE OF THIS STORY SO MAKE A CHOICE WISELY.


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